A Crush
by Miyuki-Onna
Summary: Zim and Gaz are in hi skool now. Gaz has a crush on Zim; Zim just wants to use her to get out of being exposed by Dib. What will happen? Could he possibly fall for her?  ZaGr COMPLETE
1. Skool's Out

Yay! My first Invader Zim fanfic!

Notes: Thanks to The Dibster, who proofreaded and edited this chapter.

And, just like tousands of people out there, I dont own Invader Zim. Unfortunately, Viacom does (or Nick, whatever.)

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1: Skool's Out

_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!_

_Uggh, finally! _Gaz thought. This school day couldn't have been longer. Just about the usual had happened; everyone ignored her. Hi Skool was tough for Gaz. She was not well liked by anyone. And it wasn't that she wasn't pretty, it's just that the boys were so scared that she might take out her anger out on them, they never asked her out. All this unpopularity had just made Gaz depressed and lonely. Adding to that was her crush on one of the boys, the only one with green skin: Zim. Oh, how she loathed Zim for making her fall for him. And yet, whenever she passed him in the hall on the way to class her heart sped up, and she yearned to walk home with him to his funny little green house, with her hand in his.

But she knew Zim would never like her. He detested _all_ humans.

Gaz was walking out of the building, not really paying attention, her thoughts were on Zim, when all of a sudden she bumped right into something. No, this was a some_one_. She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Hey, get the hell out of my way!" Gaz screamed at the person she bumped in to.

"_Me_? get out of _your_ way? Zim thinks you should watch where you're going, _FILTHY HUMAN_!" Zim snapped back at her.

Gaz froze. _Zim_. She had bumped right into Zim. She could feel her face getting hot. Oh shit, she thought. _I'm blushing_.

"Oh, Dibsister. It's you. Why is your face that color? Humans faces are not red. Tell me!"

"Um," Gaz started. "it's red because..." Oh God, she couldn't think of a reason. So she went with the thing she was good at.

Anger.

"Why the hell do _you_ care? There's nothing wrong with it, so _FUCK OFF_!"

"_Zim_ was just inquiring about your facial appearance! No need to get all pissed about it!"

Zim stomped off from the scene in a huff, yelling "_I AM ZIM_!" to the nearest person, who backed away from him.

Gaz leaned against the tree and sighed. If only they were together.

Just then she heard someone come up behind her. She spun around. _Oh, it was just Dib_, she thought. Dib was a senior this year, so it wouldn't be long before he (and Zim) graduated. Dib would finally go to that Paranormal Institute he had wanted to get accepted in for quite some time. This meant he couldn't embarass her on this campus anymore.

"Gaz! I saw the whole thing! Just what exactly did Zim do to you? Did he hurt you? Your face..." He reached his hand out to touch her cheek. She jerked back.

"I'm _fine_, Dib! I swear, why the hell does it seem everyone is worrying about my appearence today?"

"I was just making sure you were safe."

Sigh, Dib sounded like he was concerned. Why did he have to care?

"Well I am, so-"

"Hey Gaz!" Someone yelled from behind her.

She spun around.

"_WHAT_?" She could hear the poison in her voice.

The person who called her was none other then Poonchy, a boy in Dib's grade who happened to be the skool jock and a total hottie. At the moment, a group of girls were surrounding him. They all stared menacingly at Gaz when he called her.

"Aww, look at her! She's _blushing_! I believe she likes Zim!" The girls and Poonchy started to laugh. Gaz felt Dib holding her back. He knew what was coming next.

"I sure as hell do not! And you probably think you're so big and bad, but you're _not_! Let me go, Dib! I wanna give it to him! He's so been asking for it!"

"Gaz, come on. Let's go home before you go to ALC again. Dad'll shit if that happens again."

Dad said she messes up his "_image_" whenever she got in ALC. Stupid, because she was sure that was messed up when Dib made his first claim about seeing ghosts at the age of 3.

"Yeah, Gaz! You should listen to him. Your dad wouldn't be happy if you came home beaten up."

Gaz thrashed against Dib's strong grip. She wanted to beat the hell out of Poonchy so bad...

"C'mon Gaz." Dib lead her to his car.

"Gaz and Zim. Oh, how sweet!" She heard one girl say sarcastically.

"OMG! What if they got married?"

"Then they'd have mutant green-and-purple kids!"

The whole group laughed. Gaz hung her head and let a few silent tears roll down her cheeks. She climbed into the passenger side of the car. Dib got in the other side a second later.

"It'll be alright, Gaz." He reached out his hand and held hers. She jerked her hand out immediately. Dib sighed and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Gaz?" Dib gulped then went on. "Gaz, you _don't_ like Zim. Do you?"

"No." She leaned her head against the window. She heard him sigh in relief.

Rain started to pour down and made little lines on the window. More tears flowed.

Oh, why did she have to be so... _unpopular_?

Why did Dib have to care so much?

And why did she have to be in love with Zim?

* * *

Please, do review if you wanna hear more. :)


	2. Saturday

**Wow. I'm really surprised at the number of reviews I have already. Thank you to my many readers! I'm glad you like it, and you won't have to wait any longer, because... here's chapter 2!**

**My words of praise to The Dibster, my Betareader. You really help me out a lot. :)**

**And to Invader Robyn and blueflower1594: Sorry about that little bit of paranoia. By the way, you don't have to review this chapter again, since you already reviewed!**

**I do not, and will not ever, own Invader Zim.**

**

* * *

**

Gaz jumped out of the car as soon as it came to a stop in the driveway of the Membrane house and ran inside. She climbed up the stairs and raced into her room and locked the door. She didn't feel like dealing with Dib's pestering questions. She collapsed down on the bed, buried her face in the pillows, and sobbed. She cried so long and hard, it felt like there were no more tears left in her. After she was done crying, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts racing at a million miles an hour.

_Damn Poonchy and his band of sluts. What joy do they get out of making me miserable? God, I'm SO glad tomorrow's Saturday. Oh, why do I have to be so cold to Zim? He might actually like me if I was nice to him._

"Yeah right," Gaz said aloud.

She reached down beside the bed and pulled her book bag up. She unzipped it and brought out her Game Slave 5- her most prized possession- and began playing. It seemed slashing bad guys on her GS5 helped her unwind and forget about her hellish social life at school. This was the newest version of the Game Slave, and already she had almost beaten the game.

Just 4 more levels...

Later Gaz glanced at her clock.

_Hmmm, 8:00, _she thought. _Time to get some food. _As if on cue, Gaz's stomach let out a horrible growl. She stood up, stretched, and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Dib was in the den on the couch, his eyes glued to the T.V. He was watching his favorite show, Mysterious Mysteries.

"Don't you ever get tired of reruns?" Gaz asked sarcastically. It had been canceled almost two years ago.

"Oh, shut up. It just never gets old," Dib replied without taking his eyes off the T.V. "Besides, this is my favorite episode."

Gaz rolled her eyes and took some food back up to her room.

...

* * *

_Next day, Zim's base..._

"_Gir! _Turn that _damned_ T.V. down! I cannot think with all that noise!" Zim yelled to the robot from in his lab. _'Hm... it seems that I have picked up a few so called_ 'curse words' _from the humans,_' Zim thought.

"OKIE DOKIE!" Gir called back in his cute voice. Zim shook his head and continued working. He was surprisingly not working on a new plan to take over Earth, no. Instead, Zim was busy working on his homework. Algebra homework.

"_Ugh... _that stupid teacher human assigned _me_, _the great ZIM_, too much of this- how they say- this... _alge-bra_ work," he muttered to himself. "I cannot figure out all these signs and numbers. _Arrrgghhhh! _Zim cannot figure this out!" The Irken started to freak out and crumple his paper up in anger. Then suddenly, Zim looked up in surprise. He could've sworn he saw a flash...

There it was again! And from the corner of his eye, Zim saw a figure run toward the exit. He spun around just in time to see Dib emerge from the shadows.

"_Computer! _Close the door!" Zim commanded. The doors slid closed, but Dib still managed to escape, laughing the whole time.

"I'll get you, Dib! Trust me!" Zim called after him. He sunk down into his seat and put his head in his hands. Dib had gotten pictures of him without his disguise on before, and he had thwarted that plan by shrinking himself and making his way into Dib's stomach, where he took control of Dib's arm-control nerve, all the while inside his microscopic submarine. But, he didn't have that ship anymore, and Dib would be expecting Zim to try and get those pictures, anyway.

"Fuck! What am I going to do?" Then, Zim got an excellent idea.

"Of, course! The Dib- stink will be expecting me to foil his plans. But he wouldn't expect his sister to! Yes, it's perfect! All I have to do is gain the Dib-sister's trust, and she will do what I want her to."

Zim laughed his evil laugh and rubbed his hands together. He smiled to himself.

"Perfect."

...

* * *

_The Membrane house, around noon..._

Gaz opened her eyes and looked at her clock. She had slept in. She pulled back the covers and walked downstairs to the kitchen in her pajamas. She found Dib at the table, uploading pictures to his laptop.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Dib said to her, momentarily looking up. Gaz rolled her eyes and got out some food for her lunch.

"You'll never guess what I got this morning, Gaz. Proof about Zim being-"

"An alien, right, Dib? Oh I swear, aren't you getting a little old for this? Why don't you just leave him alone? He sucks at taking over the world."

"Gaz! I will not rest until Zim is brought down! He is an alien. You can't trust him," Dib replied.

She snorted.

"Here, look at these," Dib turned his laptop around to her.

Gaz sighed and told him, "Dib, people will think you faked the pictures. _Duh_!"

"Why would they think they're fake? There as real as can be!" he exclaimed.

"Psssht," Gaz sat at the table and began to eat. She looked over at Dib. "Will you go on with your shit? I'm trying to eat!"

She showed him her sandwich, with that "_like, hello_?" look on it. Dib looked pissed.

"My god. Fine, but mark my words, Gaz. The human race will thank me when I save then from that alien scum!"

"Please, if anyone believes you," Gaz scoffed. With that, Dib got his stuff and left the kitchen. Gaz went on eating her sandwich.


	3. Putting the Plan Into Motion

**Soooooo sorry for the slow update! My betareader's been busy and I have too with school and being sick and the holidays. But anyways, here's chapter 3 (FINALLY!)**

**I LOOOVVES all the reviews! Thank you all! *gives hugs***

**Thanks to The Dibster, who, as you may already know, betareads my chapters.**

**By the way, imalionrawr10, if you're curious, I have in fact read The Dibster's stuff. Why do you think I chose her as my betareader? ^^**

**Moving on...**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Putting the Plan into Motion**_

Zim walked out of his base and put Gir on his leash. It was a _horrible_ Earth morning and Zim was on his way to school. Gir was with him, because he had agreed to drop the robot off at the Krazy Taco joint. And because Gir loved his master.

"_Whooo! _I _looove_ being with you! It so much fun!" Gir jumped onto Zim's head. Zim rolled his eyes. _Honestly, why does he have to be so crazy? _Zim wondered.

"Get off my head, Gir! Normal dog creatures _don't_ jump on their human-master's head!" Zim yelled at him.

"_Sorry-y-y!" _Gir hopped back onto the ground. Zim sighed, then he proceeded to tell Gir about his plan.

"I have researched all of the possible ways I could trick the Dib-sister into doing my bidding, and I have come up with the best solution of all. I will use the power of the humans' most sensitive emotion- _love_!"

"_Whoo! _You is smart!" Gir replied.

"Yes, yes, I know. All humans are capable of this emotion, and it makes them weak, and easily broken." He felt an evil smile form on his face. "The Gaz- human won't be able to resist -"

"_Oooooooh! _Monkey!" Gir interrupted, snapped his leash, and ran on ahead. Zim looked in the direction he was running, and saw Gaz, listening to one of those iPod devices.

He was surprised by this coincidence, yet he said aloud while rubbing his hands together evily, "Perfect. Time to put my _Evil_ plan into motion." He ran over to Gaz, screaming at Gir.

Gaz heard him scream before she saw him. She was busy changing the song on her iPod when Zim's stupid green robot-dog thing tackled her to the pavement and screaming something about monkeys. Her iPod flew out of her hand and landed a few inches away.

"What the... _What in the HELL do you think you're doing?" _she bellowed at him.

Gir jumped up and down on her back and yelled. "You is a monkey! I love you!" Gaz was furious, and he was really starting to hurt her back.

"If you don't get off of me, I will weld your mouth together, so you'll _finally_ shut the hell up, then take you apart bolt by fuckin' bolt so you'll never be able to-"

"_GIR! _Get off the human!" He abruptly stopped bouncing. Gaz got to her feet and watched him salute, shout "Yes, Sir!", and run back over to Zim, all in duty mode.

"Gir, you don't need me to walk you to the taco establishment. Go on!" Zim commanded the robot.

"Ok, masta!" Gir chirped. He paused for a moment, looked at Gaz and muttered "Monkey..." then went on to The Krazy Taco.

Her heart did speed up a bit, but she was still pretty pissed.

"Zim, you need to control that dammed robot!" Gaz shouted at him.

"ROBOT! Ha, ha." Zim yelled and looked around as if there were people around. "Gir is no robot. He's a normal human dog monster!" Gaz rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." She walked over and picked up her iPod. The screen had a crack running across it. She tried to turn it on. It came on, but the screen was illegible.

"But your dammed '_dog'_,"-she made quotes in the air with her fingers-"broke my iPod. You're paying for it, Zim!"

Anger crossed Zim's face, and he muttered something inaudible. But, to Gaz's surprise, he retaliated, smiled at her and said, "There will be no need for me to pay for the music device, Gaz." She raised her eyebrows.

"_Excuse me?" _She said menacingly. Zim's smile faded.

"You didn't let me finish. I, _ZIM_, can fix your human music player for you." Gaz was stunned.

"Um... you're kidding, right?" she replied. She couldn't see why in the hell Zim, an alien bent on destroying the human race, wanted to do something so... _nice_ for her. It just wasn't in his nature. '_Could it be a joke_?' she thought. Then again, Zim didn't like to associate in human customs at all. Nevertheless, she couldn't let herself belive that he actually liked her. She didn't want to set herself up for heartbreak.

"Zim never jokes, young Gaz. I am being truthful. Just give it to me and it will be good as new." He held out his gloved hand. Gaz stared at it for a moment, then looked at Zim, keeping her face expressionless. As far as she could tell, there was no sign of a lie on it. Almost reluctantly, she put her iPod in Zim's hand. He closed his fingers around it, then put it in some unseen pocket.

"Don't worry. Zim will fix it," he assured her and melted her heart with a breathtaking smile."To make up for it, in the meantime, may Zim carry your bag of books the rest of the way to school?"

_No fuckin way_, Gaz thought. _This really can't be happening_. Inside, she was doing cartwheels over and over. Outside, she flawlessly hid her joy behind a scowl, shrugged her shoulders and said in a flat voice, "Whatever. Less of a load for me to carry." With that she dumped her bookbag onto Zim.

He staggerd a bit under the weight of all those books (Gaz had her biology book, her geometry book, and her world history book to drag around), but managed to get it on his back, being careful, she noticed, of his Pak. The two carried on to school in silence. Now, naturally, when they walked onto the grounds of the hi skool, they attracted stares. _Zim_, carrying _Gaz's_bookbag for her and walking with her? Gaz was pretty sure what they were thinking, that they had hooked up over the weekend or something. Although fearful of the criticism they were sure to give her, she kept her head up, and ignored the morons.

Zim dropped her bookbag onto the steps of the skool."Ok, Gaz-human. Here."

"Um... I guess you're expecting a 'thank you' now, right?"

"No, no. Zim was... very much oblidged to be of service to you." He said this with much difficulty, she noticed.

"Yeah, whatever." The two looked at each other for a minute.

"Hey, Zim! Go ahead and kiss the wierdo!" Someone called out from the grounds. Gaz felt her face flush and she quickly turned so Zim wouldn't see.

"What's wrong?" she heard Zim ask.

"Nothing!" she said hastily. "I'm going to beat the shit out of whoever said that!" she announced loudly. The kids went quiet. They all pointed to the kid who said it. Some guy Gaz didn't know his name. She stormed down the stairs and went toward the guy.

"H-hey! What did I say? So big deal." He held up his hands in defense. "DAMMIT! Get away from me!" She was advancing on him, he was backing up from her. Unfortunately, she couldn't bash his face in, because the first bell rang.

_Damn, _she thought.

"Your ass was saved this time, but you ever bother me again, and I will make you wish you never met me!" She warned him. Never taking his eyes off her, he got his stuff and ran inside the school. She sighed and walked back to the stairs and picked her bookbag up. Zim was gone by this time, probably on his way to his next class. Gaz proceeded on to her class, too, getting there just as the tardy bell rang. The teacher looked up.

"Miss Membrane, one more tardy and you'll be suspended. You do understand that, don't you?"

Gaz was about to say something snappish in reply, but she controlled herself. "Yes, I do, sir."

"Well, take your seat, and get to work on your assignment on the whiteboard." Gaz did just that, but all the rest of that block, she couldn't pay attention. She still thought of the events that had taken place that morning. _What did Zim want? _she thought. He has never done this before. She didn't allow herself to even consider that maybe... just maybe... her life was turning out the way she wanted it to for once.


	4. A Risky Move

**A/N: I'm SOOOOO sorry for the long wait! These past few months have been CRAZY, so I haven't had time to update. But I promise, I won't take this long next time.**

**The Dibster will no longer be my Betareader. Hey, she's got to write her story, too! So, the job has been handed over to Dame des Douleurs, another brilliant writer.**

**Ok, I think I've kept you waiting long enough. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Risky Move**

Gaz walked into the cafeteria and sat in her usual seat. She sat isolated from everyone, mainly because nobody liked her. And, although this wouldn't have bothered her nearly as much when she was younger, she now felt a twinge of sadness. She wished she had somebody to talk to, someone who would stop the loneliness from eating away at her soul.

As the kids were being served, Gaz pulled out her own lunch of a turkey sandwich and a bottle of Poop Cola. She didn't like to eat the lunchroom's food; no telling what that crap was made of. Pretty soon, all the kids had their trays and were taking their seats.

Dib had gone off campus for lunch, so he said. In reality, that was just a cover. He was actually on the trail of the weatherman who he believed was Bigfoot. Idiot.

Gaz finished her lunch and threw it away, then she pulled out her Gameslave. She was on the last level, and the only thing on her mind at the moment was beating it. She blocked out her surroundings and focused completely on the game.

The vampire piggies were closing in on her, closer... closer... She was losing life fast. There had to be some way to get more power, and if there was, she'd definitely beat the pigs and defeat the Vampire Pig Master. She ran to the right, hoping something, someone, would be there to help her. It would be so much easier if she could just shake those fucking piggies! She blasted one off of her with her lasergun, also losing more power that way. There! A life force! Salvation! Praise the lord! Her power was going so fast, she was almost to it...

She was jerked back into reality when someone snatched her game out of her hands. She was stunned. No one would DARE take her game away.

"GAZ! I have been calling you for forever now! Why do you ignore the almighty ZIM?" he yelled at her. Zim was sitting opposite her at the table, her Gameslave now in his hands. She must have been so absorbed in the game that she didn't hear him. But all she could think of at the moment was that she _had_ to win.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER! GIVE THAT BACK TO ME! NOW!" She nearly jumped across the table and attacked Zim to get the Gameslave back. She snatched it from his hands and immediately resumed playing it. But she was too late. "Game Over" flashed on the screen. That was it. She had lost the game. And it was all Zim's fault. As much as she liked him, she couldn't hold back the anger building up inside her. NOBODY made her lose her game. She turned to look at him and gave him her death glare. He faltered a little under it.

"You...idiot!" she hissed at him. She then realized the entire lunchroom was staring at her.

An anonymous classmate called out, "You're dead now, Zim!"

Zim began to back up cautiously as she advanced on him, torture and misery promised in her expression.

"I…" He swallowed the nervous lump that had built up in his throat. "I-I'm sorry, Gaz-human," he choked out.

She stopped. Gaz knew, from as much as Dib knew and told her about Irkens, that they _never_ said sorry. Especially _this_ Irken.

That surprise cleared her mind of the fury and brought her back to her senses.

"Um, well, I don't forgive you for what you did, but I'm not going to rip your head off this time."

Everyone in the cafeteria gasped in unison and began to whisper. Gaz turned around and walked back to her table, succeeding in concealing her embarrassment about being the subject of the people's conversations. She heard Zim follow her back, too.

She returned to her seat, and Zim sat across from her.

"So, Gaz, before you nearly killed me, I was just going to tell you to come by my ba- I mean house after school and pick up your music device. I will have it fixed by then."

"Really? And how in the hell will you have accomplished that?" Gaz was skeptical he could have fixed it that fast, even if he was an alien with advanced technology. "You've been at school all day."

Zim smirked at her and said mysteriously, "I have my ways." She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Zim. I'll be at your base after school."

"ZIM HAS NO BASE! I have a house just like any normal human!" That really _irked_ her how Zim acted so paranoid all the freaken time. But sometimes, she thought it was kinda cute the way he flipped out.

"Whatever, Zim. Just go away." She pretended to go back to playing her Gameslave.

"May Zim walk you to my house?"

She stared at him. This had to be a dream; fairy tales aren't real.

"I...guess so..."

"GREAT THEN!" Zim hollered, then he stalked out of the cafeteria. Gaz didn't know how to react. She had liked him for... at least since 8th grade, and _now_ he was actually taking notice of her!

"Maybe dreams do come true," she muttered. She chuckled to herself. She knew that wasn't true.

When school let out, she made up an excuse to Dib (she told him she was going to the arcade) and walked along the sidewalk to Zim's house, Zim at her side. He was babbling nonstop about everything: How much he hated Earth, how much the Dib-stink pissed him off, how crazy Gir was and his latest attempt at putting a stop to his zaniness. Gaz pretended not to listen, acting totally engrossed in her game, when in reality, she drank in every word he said. To keep up the act, she absentmindedly would say "Uh huh", "yeah", "really?", or any other variation every once in a while.

"Yeah, but that's just the way it worked out." Then, with no warning, he grabbed her hand. His touch made her flinch. Gaz hated for anyone to touch her; she was really guarded.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" he asked her.

"No. You can blame it on my past, I suppose." Gaz muttered.

"Oh, well, do you want me to let go of your hand? Because I read that humans hold hands when they really like each other..."

"NO!" she said a little too quickly._God, I hope I didn't sound desperate._ She could feel her cheeks heat up as he stared at her.

"Why do you humans do that?" He asked wonderingly. It must have been a rhetorical question, because he resumed talking. Gaz put her Gameslave up, and continued on in silence. Call her crazy, but she thought her human hand and his gloved alien hand fit together perfectly.

"Finally! We're here!" Zim announced.

"Yeah, I could kinda tell, Zim," she informed him. How many small, green houses were there in this city? You could spot it a mile away!

He released her hand, ran in front of her, and held open the door.

"Ladies first," he said.

_Wow,_Gaz thought. _Who knew aliens had manners?_

She crossed her arms. "You're not gonna let the door swing shut on me before I go in, are you?" Zim looked shocked.

"No! I'd never do that to you." He motioned for her to go in. She raised her eyebrows. Just what the hell was going on here? Gaz walked on into the house. She had been in it once before, and she was surprised to see that nothing had changed since last time. Gir was sitting on the couch watching T.V, but he jumped up and squealed when he saw Gaz.

"HAM! YOU CAME BACK TO ME!" He ran to her and gave her a hug. "I missed you ham! You is my best friend!"

"Get off of me, you stupid robot!" she shouted at him.

Almost like he was obeying her, Gir released her from his hug and yelled, "OHMYGOSH! It's time!" He suited up in his puppy disguise and ran out the door.

"What...the...hell..."

"It's his club night. He always goes to raves on Monday nights," Zim explained, sounding bored and uninterested in his own words. "You learn to get used to it after years of living with him. Alright! You stay here while I go get your musical device. Don't touch anything!" he added.

"Fine, just hurry up," Gaz said impatiently. Zim ran to the toilet in his kitchen and pulled the chain. Gaz pondered over the fact that there was a toilet in his kitchen rather than his bathroom for a moment, then she shook her head. You would see just about anything in this town.

She walked over to the couch and whipped out her Gameslave. Seeing the device triggered her memory of the event at lunch, when Zim snatched it out of her hand.

_He's got some nerve, _she thought, sighing. She admired him for that.

She swung one leg up over the couch's armrest and continued to play her game.


	5. Teaching of the Gameslave

**A/N: This chapter's a little shorter then the ones in the past, just to let you know.**

**Dame des Douleurs Betaread this chapter. But you already knew that, didn't you? :)**

**Thanks to everyone who came back to my story after such a long hiatus. I really appreciate that. **

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Teaching of the Gameslave**_

**Zim's POV**

Zim shuddered as he descended to his secret lab in the tube.

"I put on a very convincing show. Little Gaz doesn't suspect that this show of affection is just an act. But it kills me to have to be so... _affectionate_ to a _human_like that!

"It will all be worth it though. Once she retrieves those pictures and my risk of exposure is gone, I will drop her like a large Earth mineral! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Zim laughed.

The elevator tube had reached its destination. Zim stepped out and walked with a sense of greatness up to a long dashboard in front of a large monitor.

"COMPUTER!" Zim hollered.

" What do you want now?" his Computer replied in an irritated tone, which Zim ignored.

"The Dib-Sister is here to retrieve her musical device."

"Really? How did you manage to get her to come over here? Isn't she the demon one?"

Zim smirked and smoothed back the hair on his wig. "She obviously couldn't resist my charm. I may hate humans, but the human females can't resist my sexiness."

"You, _sexy_? Ha, that's rich!" Computer laughed.

Zim's smirk turned into a scowl. "Nobody asked you!" Not the best retort, but it was all he could come up with at that moment.

"Right," Computer said. "But Zim, don't you think there's an easier way to get the pictures back?"

"I-uh...DO NOT QUESTION ME! Just give me back the music device."

Gaz's iPod popped up out of some invisible slot on the dashboard. Zim grabbed it in midair, ran back to the elevator, and went back up.

Just out of curiosity, he scrolled through her list of artists. He had only heard vaguely of some of them: Cobra Starship, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence, Pencey Prep...

He arose out of the toilet and walked over to Gaz. He saw that she had made herself at home, sprawled out on Gir's favorite couch playing her coveted video game.

Zim rolled his eyes. He couldn't get how she could be so obsessed with that thing, so he put his questioning thoughts into words. "Why the hell are you so addicted to that game? Almost every time I see you, you're playing it."

"It's fun," Gaz replied without looking up.

"Fun? That thing?" He pointed at her game.

"Yeah," Gaz tore her gaze from the screen and looked him straight in the eyes. He couldn't look away from her intense stare. It was actually starting to make him nervous.

_'What kind of human is she, to make the great Invader Zim nervous?_' he wondered.

"Just out of curiosity, may Zim observe how you play that?" He was genuinely curious to see what she found so amusing in it.

Gaz raised an eyebrow. "You want to watch me play? Nobody's ever wanted to watch me play before... I guess you can. But don't touch my Gameslave, or you will suffer horribly!"

Zim did a mock salute and said, "Yes ma'am!"

She rolled her eyes at his comment and sat up to make room for him. Zim sat down beside her.

"So what is the point of this game?" he asked her.

"Well, you play as this kickass vampire piggy hunter and slay vampire piggies, kind of like Buffy, I guess."

"Who?"

"Oh she's... nevermind. Anyway, you have to kill as many of them as you can, see? Watch."

Zim watched in awe as Gaz's hands flew over the controls and buttons, the guy in purple on the screen and piggies disappearing in bunches in a flash of light.

He watched her play all evening, asking the occasional question. He didn't even notice when it began to get dark. Gaz just happened to glance out the window and notice it was night.

"Damn! It's late. Dib's probably worried." She rolled her eyes.

Zim sprang up off the couch.

"I'll walk you home!"

"Thanks, Zim, but I can manage. I don't think Dib would like it too much if you walked me home. Might give him ideas, don't you think?"

"Yes, you're probably right. Stupid Dib monkey..."

She laughed when he said that. _I like the way she laughs. It's... a cute laugh_._Wait, I did not just think that, did I?_

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then. Bye Zim." She turned to leave.

"Gaz?" She stopped. "Um, do you want to come back over tomorrow?" The words slipped out of his mouth. He could hardly believe that he was saying them.

She raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure. I guess so. See ya then." And she hurried out the door.

Zim sighed and flopped down on the couch. He hated to admit it but he was actually looking forward to tomorrow's "teaching-of-the-Gameslave" session. He also hated to admit that he liked spending time with Gaz. Despite being scary, she had a sort of something about her that he found... appealing. Maybe it was because she shared his hatred of the human race. He might even start to tolerate her after some time.

He laughed at the thought.

"Not likely."

* * *

**Reviews? Anybody? Please?**


	6. Love?

**Chapter 6:**

Gaz returned to Zim's house every day of the week. Zim escorted her there every time. She ignored the stares and whispering going on behind her back; she didn't care about that. After all, that had been going on for years, so why should she start caring now?

While there, Gaz played her game most of the time, with Zim watching. A few times, she thought she caught him observing her cleavage instead of the game.

On rare occasions, she reluctantly handed him her game so he could try it. But Zim, having only three fingers and little patience, usually lost pretty quick. Gaz would then eagerly snatch it back into her nimble fingers.

At the end of the week, she finally beat the game.

"YES!" she cried, hopping around Zim's den joyously. "I beat it! Victory!"

She was so happy she could...she could...

She went up to Zim and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. Gaz then realized what she was doing. She released him and stepped back, her face burning.

"Um, shit, sorry about that. I just got overexcited..." she trailed off.

Zim walked over to her and stroked her cheeks in wonder. "Why do you do that?"

Gaz blushed harder.

"So... what happens now?" Zim asked.

"What?" She didn't understand what he was talking about.

"You said you have triumphed over the game. What happens next?"

"Well, there is a new game that came out like, a month ago. I've been practically begging him to take me to the mall to get it. I'd go myself but I can't drive and it's a long way to walk..." _Shut up. You're babbling_, she mentally scolded herself.

"Hmm..." Zim still seemed to be transfixed by her red cheeks.

"Well, um, I've got to go home. Bye, Zim." She backed away from him and went for the door.

"Bye, Gaz."

She hurried out the door as fast as she could.

She was wrapped up in her thoughts on the way home.

_Oh my God, what was I THINKING? Hugging him? He's probably in there retching or scrubbing himself with soap. I'm so stupid._

_Wait a minute._ She stopped._He called me Gaz. Not Dib-sister. Not some other absurd nickname. Just Gaz._

She smiled. Maybe there was something there. After all, he did seem to enjoy her company that previous week. Maybe everything would turn out alright. At the moment, though, her nerves felt like they've been frayed. She really needed to get home and have a smoke.

After Gaz left, Zim collapsed on his couch. He sighed. He didn't want this to happen. He had been fighting these feelings for what, a week now? Time went by so fast when he was with Gaz.

This was tearing him apart. He felt repulsed that he liked her. Irkens did not show love and affection. Nor did they feel it. But on the other hand... just thinking about her, her soft skin, the way her violet hair smelled... the way her face turned red whenever he touched her. Just thinking about her made a weird sensation come over him.

So he wondered,_Should I succumb to this? Just stop fighting and give in? Say,"_Hey, I love you, Gaz. Do you want to be with me?"_Of course she'll say yes, that's the whole basis of my plan-_

Zim's eyes widened.

_Damn I almost forgot. I have a plan to carry out. I must do it. For my own safety. I know that human females will do almost anything their -_he swallowed- _boyfriend tells them to do. They are very persuasive._

He made up his mind. He was going to ask her to engage in a human courting ritual with him. In plain English, ask her out. Not to deceive her, but because he loved her.


	7. Popping the Question

**A/N: Double feature today! I already had chapter 7 written so I just went ahead and typed it up and sent it to Dame des Douleurs and...yeah. You get the gist of it.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Popping the Question**

Gaz stood outside the mall entrance and looked around. She felt a slight chill due to the rain and pulled her coat tighter around her thin body.

The day before, Zim's crazy robot-dog thing showed up at her door, and after some aggravation and death threats, she finally got the message out of him that he was sent with: Zim had told her to meet him at the precise spot where she was standing at this very moment. Why, he hadn't said. And by the time she got that much out of Gir, he had fallen asleep, so if he had said why, she didn't know.

Dib had planned to drive up this way anyway, so he dropped her off. And this is where she had been, waiting under the shelter from the rain.

She checked the clock standing by the door. She had been here for an hour. "Where is he?" she wondered.

A car sped by, going too fast for being in a parking lot. Water splashed the front of Gaz's jacket. She silently cursed whoever was driving that car to a realm of eternal suffering.

"Why do people have to be so stupid?" she said under her breath.

"What was that?" someone asked behind her. She spun around. There was Zim, holding something behind his back. And she was standing here, sopping wet. _Lovely_, she thought.

"Dib-sister, did you stand out in this horrid rain? You are-"

"I know, I know," she snapped. "Just forget it. So why did you call me here, Zim? And what do you have behind your back?" She tried to peer around him to see whatever he was hiding.

"Well?" He seemed to be in a daze. He was just staring at her.

"Zim!" No response. She didn't know what else to do, and she was starting to get impatient, so she slapped him across the face. This seemed to break his trance. Now he had a look of shock mixed with anger on his face.

"What the hell!" he yelled.

"What are you hiding, Zim?"

"Wha-oh!" His face broke into a grin. He brought the object out from behind his back. It was a bag.

Gaz's eyes widened. She didn't expect Zim to be out shopping. Especially out in this weather, considering what water did to him.

He held the bag out to her. "For you," he said.

She was surprised. This was new for Zim. Hell, was this even _Zim_? She reached inside the bag and pulled out a box with the words _Game Slave_printed on it.

"Wha- this is-"

"The newest game thing. You mentioned it a few nights ago and you said that the Dib-Stink wouldn't bring you here to get it-say, did he bring you here?"

She then realized her mouth was agape. She snapped it shut and answered Zim. "Yes. He said he was heading this way anyway, and I said that I was going to buy this. I was, after you showed up..."

"That is the right one, correct?"

"Yes. You bought it for me?"

"Of course! What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Tears had begun to form in Gaz's eyes. She couldn't help it; no one had ever done something this nice for her before.

"I LOVE it!" she choked out. She looked at Zim's concerned face and flung her arms around him once again. Before she lost her nerve, she planted her lips on his. She hadn't known what to expect, but she didn't think that Zim's lips would be so soft. And they tasted of something sweet, like a cherry brainfreezy.

She pulled back quickly. His arms had at some point found their way around her, and he was holding her tight.

She then realized that Zim was steaming. She was wet! But Zim wasn't letting her go.

"Don't you feel that? The water's burning you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I don't care. I liked your lips upon mine Gaz. Do you want to put them back there?"

Gaz laughed and kissed him a second time.

Zim pulled back this time.

"So, Gaz, would you consider being my mate?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not your mate, but I will be your girlfriend. Is that okay?"

Zim smiled. "Hell yeah!"


	8. Mission Accomplished

**A/N: Soooo sorry for the slow update. I just couldn't stay on hiatus. So, enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Mission Accomplished **_

"Oh, I love this one. The story element's just fantastic," Gaz said. She pushed the skip button on her CD player until she reached the song she wanted.

Guitars started playing melodiously, accompanied by drums in the background, and after a bit of playing, the singer's voice started to softly sing the lyrics:

_Late dawns and early sunsets, just like my favorite scenes. Then holding hands and life was perfect, just like up on the screen. And the whole time I'm always giving, counting your face among the living..._

"All of this Earth music sounds alike to me," Zim said.

"You don't like it?"

"Not particularly..."

"You haven't liked _anything_ I've put on so far."

"Maybe Zim just doesn't like "rock and roll"."

"DON'T LIKE ROCK AND ROLL? The horror!" She playfully pushed Zim. "Maybe you need some music therapy."

Zim shrugged, and Gaz began to notice that something seemed off about her new boyfriend.

"What's wrong, Zim? You're not as talkative as you usually are."

Zim sighed. "It's just... not normal being in your room. I keep thinking that the Dib-stink will come bursting in the door at any moment."

She kissed his cheek and punched his shoulder.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Stop being so paranoid. I'll take care of Dib if he comes in here. He'll wish he had never had a sister. If he doesn't already..." she trailed off.

The pair was quiet for a moment, allowing Gaz's mind to wander a bit.

She didn't think it was weird that Zim was in her room. They hardly got to see each other in the five days they had been officially a couple.

At high school, nothing ever stays a secret for long, and somehow, it had gotten out that Zim had asked Gaz out. She could clearly picture her classmates taunting her, which had grown much worse.

_"Awwww, Gazzie's got a boyfriend."_

_"Finally! I thought she didn't go for boys."_

_"She sure doesn't dress like she does."_

_"She still reeks of virgin. C'mon, Gaz? When you gonna fuck him?"_

It took everything in her not to lash out and massacre them, though she did get a few punches in. And she made sure that Poonchy couldn't have kids.

She smiled to herself as she remembered a comment one of his jock friends had made.

_"Damn. She kicked him hard."_

When Dib found out, he blew a few arteries. Now he followed Gaz around like a puppy at school, always sitting with her at lunch and driving her home.

She remembered a conversation the siblings had on one of those rides:

"This is for your own good, Gaz. That no good space-boy might try to do horrible alien tests on you!"

She had crossed her arms and said, "Wow, yeah. I'm really scared of a supposed "alien"- she had made quotes in the air with her fingers- "who still hasn't taken over the world."

Dib just gave her a pissed look and continued driving.

She broke the silence of her current conversation with Zim and said, "I wish Dib would leave me alone. I didn't freak out when he started going with Zita."

Zim smiled wryly. "She's not your arch enemy though, is she?"

"I don't particularly like her..."

Zim smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. Gaz froze up and suddenly felt very awkward. She removed his arm and stared at him.

"You sure don't act like you've never had a girlfriend."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, you're just so confident."

Zim didn't say anything for a moment. He seemed to be having an internal struggle with himself. Eventually, he sighed. "I've never had a _human_ companion before. I once had...feelings...for a female Irken."

Gaz looked at him with interest. She gestured for him to go on.

"Well, on my home planet, we're trained to be soldiers. We're not supposed to have feelings of affection or attachment. My" -he gulped- "love for her would be severely looked down upon. I could've even been shunned for it."

"So, if you aren't supposed to love, how does your race survive?"

" Irkens are reproduced artificially, using Irken DNA." Zim explained.

"Oh. So what did you do?" Gaz pressed.

"I tried to ignore these feelings. It became easier when Ava was killed."

'How'd she die?" Gaz asked.

"She was sent to Blorch and devoured by the slaughtering rat people. It still makes me pissed to think that Skoodge could conquer that planet when she couldn't," Zim spat.

She didn't know what Blorch was, or who Skoodge was, but she still pressed Zim on. "It didn't hurt you when she died?"

"No."

She didn't ask him anything else, trying not to feel jealous that this Ava once had Zim's affections.

Instead, she focused on the present. She had Zim. No one could take him away.

The song faded to silence as the next one started to play.

"Hey Gaz," Zim started, startling Gaz a little.

"What?"

He leaned in close to her face. She felt her face heat up. _He's gonna kiss me_, she thought hopefully.

"You wouldn't mind doing a favor for Zim, would you?" He purred softly.

"No," she breathed.

He stroked her cheek softly with his claws. It sent shivers down her spine. _Damn crazy hormones,_she thought.

"Your annoying brother may have gotten some, ahem, evidence of my alien-ness..."

She snapped back into reality.

She moved to the edge of the bed, the springs groaning in protest. She reached under her mattress and pulled out a digital camera. "You mean these?" she said.

Gaz turned the camera on and pushed the review button. She scrolled through the pictures with Zim looking over her shoulder.

There was a picture of Zim standing in a very alien-looking room, his attention focused on something. In the next one, he was staring directly at the camera, a weird look on his face. His robot was in the background and wearing a clueless grin.

"Yes, Gaz! Those are just what I needed. Now I just need to find a method of getting rid of them..."

She raised an eyebrow. "How 'bout this?" She pressed the 'delete' button to erase all the pictures.

Zim's expression turned to awe. "They're gone?"

She smiled smugly."Yep."

Zim smiled this time. "Perfect," he said.

He then laid his lips on hers. Gaz gave in to him and kissed him back, her head clouded with pleasure.

_**Dib's POV**_

Dib was climbing the steps up to his sister's room. It was almost suppertime, and he was going to ask her what she wanted to eat.

_She'll probably say Bloaty's_, he thought. He laughed to himself.

It wasn't that he didn't love his sister; she was just so hard to get along with. And now she was going out with _Zim_...

Had she lost her mind? Zim was criminally insane! He wanted to take over the world!

Even worse than that, he was an _alien_. It wasn't right for them to be together.

He shuddered at the thought of Gaz's lips on the space-boy's.

This would turn out all right as soon as he exposed him for what he was. If only he could find his camera...

He opened her door and froze.

_ZIM_ was in Gaz's room, on her bed, and ON TOP OF GAZ, trying to get her bra off.

"Holy shit!" he screeched in shock and horror.

The couple froze, and he heard Gaz mutter, "Dammit."


	9. Decision

**_A/N: Next chapter. Enjoy and review please. :)_**

* * *

_**Zim's POV**_

Zim sat outside Gaz's window, listening to the Membrane siblings argue. After getting caught by Dib, Zim had to make a quick escape via the window, barely having enough time to grab his disguise.

Anger burned inside Zim. He was so caught up in that moment. How dare Dib come in at that moment!

Zim sighed. Did he actually expect for this relationship with her to work out? After all, certain... complications had arisen. He tuned back in to the fight going on. Dib was shouting at her, and Gaz was yelling back in a trembling voice.

_Fuck! If the Dib-monkey makes her cry, I'll rip his ugly little head off and fill it with candy. And then maybe give it to Gir._ Zim chuckled darkly at this thought then sighed again. Perhaps he wasn't good for Gaz, but bad.

He had noticed the other school kids were giving her an even harder time since she started going with him. Didn't those idiots know that she had feelings too? She may be a little demonic and cold, but that's just the way she is. _Stupid blind human pig smellies, why the hell do I even want to conquer these idiots?_

Zim knew why. Because that has been his mission. Or rather, that _had_ been his mission.

Three days ago -was it only three days?- Zim received a call from the Tallests, his leaders. They told him, basically, that his mission was a fake. They just sent him on a blind mission to get rid of him and hadn't really expected him to find anything.

Zim just stood in front of the monitor, his pride breaking, while the Tallests tried to suppress laughter (and failed miserably) while delivering the news. How could have he been so naive? The Tallests hadn't called him in years… had he actually expected _good_ news?

They added that since he had found this planet, Zim could just send them the coordinates so they could send a _better_ invader to conquer it. Zim just turned off the transmission. They would probably find Earth eventually, so why speed up the process?

Besides, there was someone on this piece of rock whom he actually liked, and just imagining her being enslaved by those Irken bastards made his squeedlyspooch lurch. Gaz was his home now. He was an outlaw to the Irken Empire.

Oh yeah, the Tallests also mentioned that since Zim was so useless to the Irken army, they planned to exterminate him. Sure, the almighty Zim feared NOTHING, but he wasn't ready to die yet. He also wasn't giving those assholes the pleasure of executing him.

Zim balled up his hands in fury. Stringing him along for so long. All of those years he had given them, and they all thought he was a big joke. _Damn them,_ he thought. _damn them all..._

A thought ran through his head. _Who would've thought that I would actually find a place to call home in one of the creatures I was supposedly sent here to conquer?_ He laughed in spite of himself. He sure would've never thought it.

He unclenched his knuckles, feeling the sting of the puncture wounds his claws made on his skin through the gloves.

Gaz. Her name sent warmth throughout his body. It was like someone had flipped a switch inside him. His heart sped up just at the thought of her.

It frightened him, being so vulnerable like this. He loved her so much, but he couldn't drag her into this mess.

Zim planned on running, and if he took her along, she would be made a fugitive to the Irken Army.

He had stolen her heart, but he couldn't steal her freedom.

It seemed he had to break it off with her. His heart ached in the most painful way, but he pushed it aside. No time to feel emotion _now_.

He had a tracking device in his Pak, and the longer he stayed here, the better chance the Armada had of finding Earth.

Zim activated his spiderlegs and hurried to his house, wondering where Gir kept paper and writing utensils.

_**Dib's POV**_

Dib woke the next morning to crashes coming from next door.

_What, is Gaz still throwing a fit?_ he thought. His baby sister needed to realize that she could do much better than a space alien.

What he saw last night still haunted him. He shuddered and threw back the covers. He walked next door and opened Gaz's bedroom door a crack.

"Gaz, are you okay?" he asked, peeking in. Gaz was sitting in the middle of the floor, head in her knees.

"GO AWAY!" she screamed, picking up the nearest object and chucking it at him.

Dib flinched instinctively, even though all she threw was the voodoo doll mom made for her.

He opened the door wider, eyes scanning the room. It was a total cataclysm. The dresser was upturned, glass on the floor, curtains pulled off the windows, random papers everywhere.

Dib noticed a piece of paper lying on her bed and went over to read it.

_Gaz,_

_I congratulate you on a job well done. My ingenious plan was pulled off flawlessly. You played your part well. _

_Your services are no longer required, so I am henceforth terminating all relations I have had with you. In simple Earth terms, I am breaking up with you. _

_Also, I will be long gone before you read this, so don't try to kill me._

_Zim_

What could he say? That he told her so? He knew Zim was up to something. He didn't really feel any emotion, other than pity toward Gaz's naivety.

Dib walked around the bed and sat next to her. Awkwardly, he put an arm around her shoulders.

Gaz started sobbing all over again.

"He was an alien, you know..."

"Rub it in, Dib," Gaz whispered.


	10. Regrets and Resolutions

**A/N: Okay folks, last chapter. I would like to thank my 2 betareaders;The Dibster, the one who helped me get started and Dame des Douleurs, the one who helped me finish it. I would also like to thank every single one of my readers. Your reviews have been a tremendous help in getting me to actually finish this. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Regrets and Resolutions**_

_It seems like forever ago. The regrets are useless.  
In my mind, she's in my head.  
I must confess; the regrets are useless.  
In my mind, she's in my head from so long ago._

Years passed. Gaz never forgot about the alien who had broken her heart. However, she eventually began to move on.

Gaz was still the 'scary kid', and she still held the label as the school's loner. This being said, graduation came as a much needed salvation for her.

After graduating, she went to college to study video game design, and while she was there she met I suppose what you could call a "soulmate".

She fell head over heels for him. After almost a year of dating, he asked her to marry him. She said yes. Zim became a distant memory stored in the back of her head.

_2:00 A.M; Gaz's apartment; 8 days before the wedding._

He carefully slid open the window of her apartment. He thought to himself,_humans sure are funny to have built such facilities such as this._ He slithered into the room, scanning the perimeter for the one he desired to find.

Dammit, where was she? He didn't have much time...

"Who's there?" a voice called out. He froze.

He noticed a light on in a section of the cramped room which he took to be the kitchen.

"I promise you, I'm armed."

He sighed. He knew he should've stayed away -her wrath would be so terrible- but he had to see her one more time. He slowly shuffled toward the kitchen and into the low light of the single bulb over his head. The pair looked each other up and down. Yes, his Voot's navigation system wasn't faulty; he had found the right place.

She had changed since the last time he had seen her. She was more filled out in the hips (and in the front, much to his surprise and delight) and looked more like a woman, yet her hair was still that beautiful lavender shade he had coveted so much these past few years.

She was staring at him, many emotions flashing across her face: disbelief, hurt, and anger. What had he expected?

"Zim?"

"He-hello, Gaz."

Her face contorted into rage. "You fucking creeper, Zim! What the hell are you doing sneaking around my apartment at this time of night?" _She was always so cute when she was mad_, Zim thought. It was good to see that _that_ hadn't changed.

"I came to see you, Gaz!" Zim yelled at the same decibel as her.

Anger clouded her face. "Oh, so now you come see me? After you so unceremoniously dumped me and just disappeared off the face of the Earth?" She walked over to him and began throwing punches at him. Damn, she could hit hard!

After about her tenth swing at him, he blacked out. When he came through, she was sitting back down at the table, giving him the evil eye. Zim sat up. His head throbbed and he was sore all over.

"You just dropped me. You hurt me so bad," she whispered.

Zim groaned. "Human emotions were so complicated. The littlest thing could upset you."

Gaz's eyes widened. She slapped him and yelled, "Little? LITTLE? You fucking left me with a note that said you basically used me and dumped me! How is that little?"

"Okay! Okay! Don't get crazy." Zim held his hands up in defeat.

Gaz's shoulders slumped. Zim thought for a moment that she was going to cry, but she seemed to pull herself together. "Why are you here, Zim? What do you want?" she asked in a cold voice.

"I want to tell you why I actually left." Then, as much as it hurt his pride, he told her about his mission being a fake, how he had to go on the run, and how he didn't want to rip her away from normalcy.

When he finished, she was silent for a bit. "…So you lied about that to protect me?" She sounded hesitant.

"I stole your heart. I couldn't steal you away from your home and turn you into a fugitive to the Irken Empire."

She actually cracked a small smile. "Gee, Zim, that's so romantic."

"Yeah... but then I started to... miss you, I suppose you could say. Gir can be a headache when shut up for long periods of time. Gaz, your companionship with me would be much desired to me. Will you come with me?" He hoped with all of his heart that she would say yes; he still loved her after all these years.

Gaz's expression was one of surprise, but then her face fell.

"Oh, God, Zim. I wish I could...but I... " she sighed. "I'm getting married next week."

The shock hit him first, then the pain. Oh. She found someone else. A human, no doubt. Not him.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Zim... but you know, you shouldn't have left me like that! You should've taken me with you; I would've been happy to get off this Earth then. But he..." she trailed off.

_He changed her mind. He makes her happy now._ Zim finished in his head. He hated that other guy, hated him so much that he could kill him.

But he couldn't hurt his Gaz like that. He had thought he had done the right thing so many years ago, and now he had lost her. Dammit, why did he have to be so stupid?

"I-I'm sorry, Zim..." Her apology snapped him back.

He sighed. "Well, that is what I needed to know. Before I go, can I have one last kiss?"

She hesitated then walked slowly to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and softly placed her lips against his, then pulled away a bit too quick for his liking.

Still buzzed from her kiss, he turned and headed back out the window and leaped into his waiting Voot Cruiser. He drove off and into space without another glance back, feeling oddly numb.

_Oh well,_ he thought, _Irkens are made to walk alone, not for companionship._

**Gaz's P.O.V**

She watched his ship fly off into the stars, and all the tears she had been trying to retain came spilling out. No matter how much she loved anyone else, Zim would always have a special place in her heart.


End file.
